Tivaci on Group 1 path

Tivaci’s first-up run was exactly what trainer Mike Moroney was expecting to see. The four-year-old’s second placing in the Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality on Saturday has encouraged his Melbourne Cup-winning trainer to target the Caulfield features, up to 1600 metres.

“We’re pretty keen on running at Caulfield next in the Group 1 1400m, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, and then safely into the Toorak Handicap.” Moroney told Racing.com.

“We’ll be chasing the handicaps at this stage because he’s in quite well at the weights.

“I really think that his right trip is around a mile. He has got a lot of speed for a High Chaparral.”

Although the Toorak Handicap (1600m) on October 8 will be his early spring target, Moroney isn’t putting a line through the option to step Tivaci out in trip.

“A lot of [the High Chaparral’s] can’t carry it through to 2000m, and I know Tivaci couldn’t as a three-year-old, but at some stage now we may give him a chance.” Moroney says.

“He’s just such a big strong muscular horse, you just wonder at times.”

The entire has residual fitness on his side, from a winter campaign in Queensland that culminated in a Sunshine Coast Guineas win, and his trainer believes that in the tail end of that campaign the penny dropped.

“I really think he’s just turned the corner, he’s been a horse that’s thrown a few races away by just doing things wrong.” Moroney explained.

“I’ve never doubted his ability, it’s just a matter of him getting his race sense right and I think he’s just starting to turn the corner now.”